


Robert And Sandy On The Bridge

by theprincessed



Series: Village Talk [19]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Coda, Comfort, Conversations, Family Feels, Gen, M/M, Parenthood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-10-05 18:27:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10314284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theprincessed/pseuds/theprincessed
Summary: Robert finds an unlikely source of comfort and wisdom when he takes Liv back to the pub…(Set after 14th March 2017 episode)





	

**Author's Note:**

> So that scene last night of Robert and Sandy proved more instantly inspirational than I thought and people were giving me VT feels over on tumblr, so instead of sleeping last night I stayed up until 5AM and wrote this lol.
> 
> More practicing of character's 'voices' tbh.
> 
> Hope you enjoy x

As soon as they've stepped from the gate of Mulberry, Liv picks up her walking speed and starts marching back towards the pub. Robert thought he would have to lead her by the elbow, but she seems keen to get away. Maybe it's some lingering embarrassment, although it didn't sound like that when she had opened the door to him. Still, her playing truant is the last thing he needs and he meant what he said in his text message to her this morning, that they need to talk about it, to find ways of making sure she actually goes to school so that he and Aaron don't cop another sixty quid fine. The temporary halt on his frustration breaks as he walks into the pub to see Liv already rounding the bar.

“Liv!” he hisses, leaning across and conscious of the busy afternoon of people all around him, “Come back here! I meant what I said: we need to talk!”

She flat out ignores him and, behind the bar, Vic looks between them sympathetically. “At least she was at Gabby's, eh? Let her calm down and then try and talk to her.”

She seemed calm enough at Laurel's, almost grateful for Robert showing up when he did, but he keeps that to himself and sighs heavily, dropping down onto a stool to take Vic's advice. She'd been less than helpful this morning with her teasing and perhaps now she's seen what he's up against her natural wisdom has kicked in again. Robert would never tell her that he appreciates that dynamic so much as it keeps his head screwed on properly. He offers her a slight smile in thanks when she slides a pint towards him, figuring he's done for the day in terms of work, he misses having pints with Aaron and he could do with it after this added new stress with Liv.

He's in a world of his own, wondering if feeling like he and Liv were getting somewhere lately in their relationship was all just a hopeful figment of his imagination when a wrinkled hand creeps into his eyesight. He looks up at Sandy, hadn't even realised that he was sitting in the same spot at the bar from earlier, and then down again at his hand where clutched between his fingers is a crumpled ten pound note.

“I believe, dear boy, that this belongs to young Liv,” he says gruffly.

Robert frowns, suspecting that if it's Liv's then 9 times out of 10 that actually means it's Aaron's or his. “So how come you've got it?”

“Despite what my granddaughter might think, I was not born yesterday!” he chuckles, eyes alight and voice booming joyfully, “This was a bribe! I think my presence at home was quite unexpected, so off I was shipped to here, like the old duffer I am, but not before I heard their little chat. Gabby has a good friend in that girl of yours, offering up her money for a good cause.”

Robert plucks the money from his grasp, feeling a slightly old but always present thrill at the look of surprise on his face before he nods at Vic to pull another pint. “You stopped me from running the 'round the village like a madman trying to find her,” he explains.

“Actually,” Sandy smiles, “could you do me a favour instead?”

Robert never expected such a request to take him out of the pub or Main Street completely, walking beside Sandy as he rides along in his mobility scooter across tarmac and down towards the nearby bridge with the greenery of the fields in the distance. He was waiting for tales of “the war” or at least some explanation as to why Sandy was dragging him down to the river, but he had remained quiet throughout and it somehow felt wrong to question him. As his scooter rattles onto the wood and Robert follows uneasily beside him, he inhales loud and deep.

“Ah, sometimes it's good to get away!” he declares, voice echoing into the misty, cold air. “Make myself scarce and leave the ladies in peace.”

“That's what you were doing at the pub,” Robert says wryly, noticing the mischief written on his ruddy face.

“Well yes, dear boy, where better?!” Halfway across the bridge, he stops and swivels so that he and Robert are now face to face and an unusual softness falls over him. “It helps y'know. Young 'uns today will stomp, stomp, stomp around 'til they run out of steam.”

“Oh really? Is that what Gabby does?” he asks, amused, then rolls his eyes. “Mind you, with Bernice for a mother I'm not surprised.”

“Like a thousand elephants stampeding across the Serengeti!” he shouts suddenly, theatrically, and takes his hat off to gesture with a wild arm. As quick as his exuberance is here, it's gone and he sighs, looking through the slats of the bridge to the languid water below. “She's a good kid at heart,” he adds, quieter.

“Hm, when she's not leading her friends astray.” It slips out before he can stop it, but he realises immediately how hypocritical it sounds when Liv's just as much of a handful and apologises. He turns to rest his arms on the bridge, hands clasped and groans. “Why did you bring me here, Sandy? Is this your idea of a crash course in parenting? Parenting 101, Rule #1: Leave your child to walk away from you, even though you're nowhere near finished speaking to them.”

He pushes down the thought that he's thinking of children, of parenting, whilst Aaron is in prison. Despite trying to fill the void of an authoritative figure in her life, especially since Chas is also currently in Prague with Charity and Sarah, Liv's still his sister-in-law, but somehow it doesn't stop the idea that one day this could be a reality, _he and Aaron_ could be having discussions in the future about their own likely wayward child.

“I've brought Ashley here from time to time.” he says proudly, crashing loudly into Robert's ill-advised fantasising,“Yes, gave him a good talking to, made him see sense on many a thing, so maybe you _will_ listen to me, maybe you won't. Victoria is correct – leave her be. It'll keep for later. Besides, I hear you shouldn't be casting too many stones, eh?”

“Of course you've heard,” Robert snorts, wondering who was the last culprit to gossip about him.

“And look at you now!” he grins, “Strapping young lad like you, taking care of your Aaron's sister, working on that marvellous house – oh yes, I've seen it,” he says, as Robert straightens up to look at him in surprise, “and your businesses! It's a wonder you haven't cracked!”

It pulls a shocked chuckle from him and a shake of the head, fond that when it's added up like that it does sound like a lot and he isn't just imagining how it feels to be keeping his head just above water. “Charity dumped Noah on me too,” he says cheekily.

But Sandy is often not any kind of fool. “Don't push your luck, dear boy,” he tuts, shoving his hat back onto his head.

“Thanks, Sandy,” he smiles after a long, thoughtful pause. He's not quite sure why he's thanking him, but it is genuine.

Sandy looks smug and Robert sees a glimpse into his future in his expression. “See, time away does everyone some good. Not just the troublemakers.”

He has to admit that he does feel a new level of calm and clarity and he's grateful that Sandy also seems to have had enough of the fresh air as he starts the motor on his scooter again and they head back to the Woolpack. After helping Sandy inside and to the more comfortable armchairs in the corner, Robert orders that drink for Sandy from Marlon anyway and overhears Vic briefly sitting down across from Sandy by the clank of empty plates behind him.

“So where've you been with my brother for the last half an hour? He looks...less likely to kick off,”

“Oh y'know, here, there and everywhere,” he announces, unable to match Vic's slightly more covert whisper.

Robert smiles inwardly and glances up. Liv is loitering in the entrance to the pub, unsure but clearly ready to have that talk. Relieved and composing himself to be as rational as he can be again, Robert tells Marlon to hold his pint but give Sandy his, hands over “Liv's” ten quid then heads for the backroom.

Seeing him leave, Vic leans into Sandy. “Okay, he's gone now, you can tell me everything.”

“You ladies sure are something.” he mutters. “I was just giving the boy a break! A nice walk, some fresh air in the lungs and telling him what he wants to hear. It's as simple as that.”

Even though she doubts that it is 'as simple as that', Vic can't deny that it's nice to see the village looking out for Robert nowadays. She only hopes it lasts long enough to see him through to Aaron's release.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, lovelies x
> 
> I'm on tumblr at [theprincessed](http://www.theprincessed.tumblr.com). Come chat to me. :)


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